The ZPD have been keepingan eye on a crime gang of raccoons and their tiger leader, Raja, for a couple of weeks
now. They called themselves The Stripes. They were making countless amounts of counterfeit money as well as pulling off multiple robberies. Raja Bronson was a common case of a high life living
animal, brought down to the levels of criminal mischief. One minute he was a walking image of charisma and success, and then the next, everything he once had was taken from him. He was a very
successful gambler in Sahara Square according to his profile. Oasis casino staff members as well as other gamblers began accusing him of cheating, which at that point he never did. Raja was an
honorable tiger, he just had an impenetrable poker face and a stupid amount of good luck. When he bet all of his money while drunk at a blackjack tournament, he slipped up. Raja was left forlorn on
the streets. He lost everything, and so he turned to the life of crime, mugging animals for money and valuables, and starting the Stripes to make his own money; to have the feeling of success and
power once again. The police swatted the old warehouse they used as their hideout. The large wooden doors were locked, as expected.

The team consisted of the keenest and fastest members of the police
going in first: wolves, sheep, and tigers. Every officer wore heavy armour, tranquilizer guns with twenty five extra darts, riot shields and helmets. The leading officer was Judy Hopps; the
smallest, but fastest officer. Her partner, Nick, was dealing with a store robber. Judy banged on the wooden doors.

"ZPD! Let us in, Raja! We know you're in there!" She
yelled.

A group of laughs could be heard from the inside and sarcastic pleas
for mercy. "Oh no! I'm so scared!"

Judy banged on the doors again. "Let us in and come out with your
paws up, now!"

Raja's snickering voice could be heard this time. " What makes you
think we will listen to such a cute little bunny?"

Judy gritted her teeth together at the word 'cute.' She was becoming
impatient. "This is your final warning! Open the doors or I am breaking them down!" The laughs became louder.

The officers took a step away from the doors, elephant tranquilizers
ready. Judy took a running start. She jumps forward and pushes her legs to her chest, building the strength and force of her kick, and just inches away from the wood, she slammed her powerful legs
into the doors, opening them with ease. Raja and the racoons are awestruck. Judy lands on her feet and looks up, an expression of swagger mixed with sterness.

"Want to listen to this cute little bunny now?" Judy says, aiming her
gun at Raja.

Breaking from his dumbfounded gaze, Raja picks up one of his raccoon
henchmen; using him as a shield. The dart comes in contact with the raccoon's shoulder. His beady eyes widen as he drifts into a drugged sleep. A panicked frenzy broke out between the raccoons as
they tried to find a way to escape. Officers shoot them with darts, dropping them all down unconscious. Raja runs for the window and breaks through it, making his escape.

"Wrangle these guys up, I'm going after Raja." Judy said to her
colleagues as she leaps over the broken shards of glass. She rips off her armor and throws her helmet to the ground to help her run faster without the extra weight; the chase had
begun.

Judy was fast on her feet.She zoomed down the alleyway after Raja. The siberian tiger muscled his way through the
piles of discarded garbage cans. He knocked them over throwing them in the way as a desperate attempt to slow down the determined bunny. However, none of it could stop the agile
officer.

"Stop in the name of the law!" Judy called.

Raja let out in a primal snarl. "For a little bunny like you? Ha! You
must be joking!"

He takes a sharp right turn, only to run into a dead end. Raja turned
to see Judy standing at the end of the alleyway with tranquilizer in paw.

"Nowhere to run, Raja." she proclaimed moving slowly closer to the
criminal. Raja let out a small grin, revealing his sharp front canine through his lips. It seemed to gleam in the light. He bulged his muscles and straightened his leather jacket making Judy grip
her weapon tighter. The tiger stopped.

"Officer," he said softly, "let's be reasonable here. I am a business
mammal after all. Perhaps we could make a deal."

Judy scoffed at the idea, her ears stood in annoyance. "You are a
red-pawed criminal. All I want is you behind bars!"

"Miss Hopps, you are making a mistake not taking my offer. If you
take me away, I can't guarantee what will happen to a cute bunny like you. Especially without your fox boyfriend here to make you feel safer."

Judy was thrown off at this. How did he know they were mates? She and
Nick normally had to keep their relationship hidden because of work. Did he really know they were mates? Or was he just trying to get to her? Judy's nose then twitched from her fuming anger. She
took her aim.

"Last chance! On the ground! Arms in the air! Now!"

With a snicker and an untrustworthy smirk, Raja turned his back and
sat on his knees. Judy inched towards the tiger, never letting her guard down, or allowing herself to blink. Her knuckles turned white from how tightly she gripped her tranquilizer. Judy realized
the size difference between the two; she only came up to Raja's knee. Her ears suddenly twitched to the familiar sound of claws retracting. The next instant, she was slammed against the wall,
Raja's claws wrapped around her fragile neck. Judy's weapon laid on the floor, her paws struggling to pull his claw from her throat. One snap threatening to end her life. He let out a sinister
snarl, his teeth grinning with confidence.

"I told you, little bunny... you should have taken my offer. Looks
like three years have begun to slow you down. Now it looks like this is your last call."

His grip got tighter, making her wheeze. Judy began to panic. She
kicked rapidly trying desperately to free herself from his death grip. Her small claws dug into his arm, which only seemed to make him grip even tighter. Her heart raced and her eyes began to tear
up, becoming bloodshot from the lack of oxygen. The world spun around her as it slowly began to dim. Judy had begun fading into unconsciousness.

"Hey, pussycat!"

Raja turned to the sudden voice, only to have the needles of a taser
meet his neck and shoulder, sending a powerful shock through his body making him twitch and jolt. He stumbled back losing his grip on his bunny victim. Judy fell but instead of hitting the
pavement, she was caught in the arms of Nick. She coughed violently, grabbing her throat as she tried to catch her breath again.

"You alright, Judy?"

She gasped, looking up eyes half open. "N-Nick? What are you doing
here?" she said softly.

"I wrangled up that robber much quicker than I thought. The guys
called for backup for you, so I came as fast as I could. And it looks like I came just in time."

Their eyes turn to Raja. He ripped out the needles as he tries to
stand. Acting fast, Nick grabs Judy's tranquilizer and shoots it right into his shoulder, bringing the tiger down instantly. Nick looked back at Judy who was finally able to sit up on her own. Nick
noticed the bruising on her neck.

"Man, that thug really did a number on you. If I hadn't shown up you
may have been..." He paused gently stroking her sore neck with his paw. She winced and let out a sharp breath of pain. She took his paw in her own.

"I'm okay, Nick... don't worry about me."

"Too late for that, Carrots." They looked into each other's eyes.
Judy wanted to ask Nick what was wrong, but was cut off by his lips colliding with hers. Her eyes widened from the sudden tender kiss of her partner. Her cheeks blushed as Nick stroked them with
his paw. "From now on, I'm staying right by your side." Nick said as they wrapped around each other in an embraceful hug.

Then a phrase escaped his lips…

"Until the end."

...Until the end? Judy was at a loss. She didn't know how to respond
to this simple phrase. Nick mentally smacked himself on the forehead. 'Why would you say something stupid like that? Now she's going to think you're wierd.' Instead of asking him what he said, she
simply closed her eyes, nuzzled into his shoulder with a warm smile, and said it right back.

"Until the end."

Nick silently breathed a sigh of relief. Guess it wasn't as stupid as
he thought. Judy felt safe in his arms. She was with her partner; with her mate; with her friend.

Judy's ear suddenly twitched at the sound of something; it sounded
like a click. She simply shrugged it off and called for backup; Nick and Judy both knew they could not lift the unconscious tiger to the cruiser by themselves. A few larger mammals dragged Raja
into the back of the cruiser. Nick got into the passenger seat next to Judy, and they left.

From behind the nearby dumpster popped a raccoon named Travis, the
only one to not be caught by the police. He looked at the pictures he took of the two cops and their passionately shared kiss. Travis was planning something; something that he hoped would ruin the
two officers good names. The raccoon fled; he had some scheming to do.

Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps.Partners for three years and counting. The first bunny and first fox, the smallest
officers in the force, one of the rare predator-prey police partnerships; all of these were simply the perspective of the public image. To them, it was so much more than fame and praise. They were
partners, enemies turned into cherished friends, and follow suit, they became mates. A couple of weeks into his training at the police academy, Nick gave Judy an envelope. She opened it, and
screamed to find two tickets to the upcoming Gazelle concert. While he kept to his sly, cool fox ways, Nick was impossibly nervous; it was the first time he had ever asked a girl on a date, or at
least in such a long time. The weight of the world lifted off of his shoulders at the satisfying reply of 'yes' rolled off her lips.

Judy was the first one to make any kind of move. A bump from her hips
to his side, encouraging him to dance along. He never knew that meter maid, that cute, little, naive dumb bunny would mean so much to him. He soon lost the feeling of nervousness. They went on
countless dates: from drive-in movies, to dinner dates, to mixing movies and dinner together on the couches of each other's apartments. Often times they would switch whose apartment the dates would
happen at. Weeks turned into months, and months turned to years. Two New Years Eves, one Christmas, three Halloweens, the list went on. They were wrapped in each other's presence, and they were
more than happy to be with one another, to be mates; too bad they had to hide it.

The No Discrimination Act passed by the new mayor of Zootopia,
Arthur Staggery, had greatly improved things for Nick and Judy. The document was signed almost immediately after Nick became an officer, guaranteeing that animals will not be discriminated
about what they can or cannot do because of their type, species, and most importantly size. Everyone loved the new reindeer mayor more than the previous Leodore Lionheart whom nobody has heard much
from since. He was smart, handsome, and most importantly, trustworthy. While it did wonders for the bunny and the fox as well as other animals all across Zootopia, it would not help with
their case. They still had to hide their relationship due to discrimination by the public for being an interspecies couple, something that was frowned upon and often denied; until now that
is.

Mayor Staggery had asked them to be present at a very special press
conference in Savannah Central that afternoon; if the sting on the Stripes was accomplished before it started that is. He was to sign the document for full marriage equality. This document, was for
the legalization of interspecies marriage. Many protests went on about this, while some claimed that it was against animal nature, other animals were completely for this act. Many interspecies
couples looked up to Nick and Judy as role models, which is why Staggery asked them to be on stage with him. However, none of them knew that they were also a couple and were full fledged for this
document to be signed. With a proud speech and a quick signature, it was official. Animals were cheering, people were applauding, and it was a wonderful day in the city of Zootopia.

Judy was clapping along then suddenly, almost out of nowhere, she
began to think of her hometown: Bunnyburrow. She thought about how she was much differently opinionated then the rest of her family. While the Hopps family was a very LGBT accepting community, not
all of her siblings (who were old enough to understand) were too accepting of interspecies couples. Judy's mother Bonnie was full fledged in her opinion that animals should be allowed to love who
they will, but her father Stu did not believe in such thing as two different animals falling in love. Making their parents' first time meeting Nick a little bit more than awkward and uncomfortable.
The bunny felt a bit sad and lonely. Judy was homesick.

With all being said and done, Mayor Staggery passed the conference
off to Chief Bogo who now stood in front of the podium and microphones. Judy snapped back to reality as Bogo began to speak.

"Thank you." He gave a brief pause. "Citizens of Zootopia. Over the
past few months, the ZPD have done all they can to keep this city safe. And we owe a huge portion of thanks to our two top officers: Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde. Being relatively new recruits and
first of their kinds, these two have accomplished many things that even some of our top most seasoned and experienced officers have not. Such as the full and swift discovery of the 14 missing
mammals case, and the unveiling of the mastermind behind the savage attacks, Dawn Bellwether. So to show our gratitude, in one week, on Saturday May 31st, the ZPD shall host a grand dance at the
Oasis Casino in Savannah Square in Judy and Nick's honor."

Judy and Nick looked at each other surprised. The crowd applaud. Judy
looked a bit happier than Nick, she loved dances. Nick on the other hand could live without the bowties and tuxedo jackets. However, imagining his mate in a dress did catch his fancy. Judy in
anything other than pants and shirts was something of a rarity and was something to be cherished. She almost never wore skirts and dresses; even as a kitten. She would always wear T-shirts and
shorts like her brothers; hence her father's nickname 'Jude the Dude.' It would be a crowning jewel for his FurBook feed he thought.

Nick and Judy drove backto the station to catch up on some reports, when they were radioed by Officer
Clawhauser. He asked them to report to the bull pen. Judy was confused about this, but Nick simply gave his token smirk. He knew exactly what was happening. Judy knew something was up; his poker
face was nothing against her.

"Nick, do you have any idea why we're coming here?" He looked at her,
his grin seemed to grow wider.

She was stumped. Was today a special day? Friday? What was so special
about May 23rd? A thought ran through her head and she gasped. Their anniversary…

She sadly sighed. "Oh Nick. I'm sorry."

Nick turned his head in confusion. "Sorry? What for?"

"Is today our anniversary? Cheese and crackers. How could I forget
our special day?"

Nick began to chuckle. "Aww, you dumb bunny," he joked, "You really
don't know what today is? Our anniversary isn't until next month; and not on the 23rd. Today is your special day."

He said as he held the door open for her. The lights in the room were
off leaving the place in pitch black and seemed to be completely empty. Judy did not register this, she was still trying to figure out what Nick meant. Her special day? Then it finally hits her,
and just as it does the lights flick on and all the officers jump up and shout in unison.

"SURPRISE!"

She looked at Nick with a big toothy smile. He gave her that
signature grin she had grown to love.

"Happy birthday, Judy."

Cheer ran through the police department, as drinks and carrot cake were passed around in celebration. It was Judy and the rest
of her litter's 27th birthday. She was part of a smaller litter; she only shared it with two brothers and two sisters. Nick coincidentally shared the same day as her, but different months; December
23rd. He was 28, just one year older than her. Judy could hardly believe that she and Nick had been mates for almost three years now. It was two in the afternoon, and the busy day seemed to have
gone on forever. Clawhauser had his paws in the doughnut boxes, one on each finger like rings.

Chief Bogo announced a toast. "To the two best editions that the
police has ever seen. To Nick and Judy!"

Everyone was having a good time. Judy sipped at her drink and nibbled
her cake. The cake was made by Gideon Grey, whom Nick had asked to bake, since Judy told him once that he was the best baker that she knew. Meanwhile, Nick sat back with a soda. Nick did not drink
alcohol. He found a bottle of whiskey as a pup, taking a drink not knowing what it was. He has hated the taste ever since. The party ended a bit early for Judy when she had to run to the bathroom
to vomit, having a headache coming on. She was a bit drunk; Judy was not good at holding alcohol. So Nick said their goodbyes for her as he helped her back to the apartment. It was time she finally
got some rest.

He carried her in his arms up the steps like a valiant knight to the
door. Slid the key into the lock, and opened the door to the small apartment. They were living together for the past few months since Nick was evicted by his landlord. Nick couldn't complain
though, his old apartment was the very definition of terrible. And now they could see each other all the time. Judy slept on her bed while Nick took the couch. He promised it would only be until he
found a new apartment, but they both soon forgot about it. They enjoyed each other's company, and they loved living together.

Nick gently laid her down on her bed, put a trash bin nearby just in
case. He laid a gentle kiss on her forehead and left. Nick had some stuff he needed to get for her. Like her present; now that he finally had time. Nick had saved up quite a bit of money from
overtime shifts he took to get this gift for her. And it was going to be perfect.

It didn't take long for herto recover from her drunken stupor, but while she slept, Judy had a horrible nightmare.
She thought about how Raja attacked her. How helpless she was, and how she was so close to death. She thought. What if Nick wasn't there? These things didn't usually get to her, but something about
it this time got her very worried. Then her mind went to Nick. What if he actually went savage in the pit that day? She was backed up against the corner with Nick creeping ever so closely. Mouth
drooling, eyes hungry. He lunged forward digging his teeth into her throat as she choked on her own blood.

Judy woke up screaming, sweat dripping from her forehead. She looked
down to see that a pool of urine had stained her sheets. She hugged her knees, cradling into an upright fetal position. Judy felt like a little kitten again. She half expected her parents to come
bursting through the door to help her change and calm her down. She breathed heavily, coming back to reality. 'It's just the alcohol' she thought. Judy knew full well that Nick could never go
savage. He could never hurt her, but that didn't stop Judy from having hot tears run down her cheeks. She got up, removing her bedsheets and taking them to the washing machine. Luckily, she had
some extra sheets to put on the bed. While she was at it, she noticed that her place was a bit of a mess. So she put in her headphones and put on a playlist of her currently favorite band: Coldpaw.
She had some of their best hits: Clocks, The Scientist, and many others. She breathed, and got to work.

It was about an hour later, and she was almost finished cleaning. The apartment was spotless, scrubbed to a
shine. Bunnies tended to have a knack for cleanliness. Especially after seeing what Nick's apartment was like. The fox slipped through the door, making sure to lock it behind him. He grinned at the
sight of his mate feeling herself again. Though she hardly ever got sick, when Judy does she looks utterly miserable; it pains the fox to see her in pain ever since she gashed her leg open when
they revealed Bellwether. He felt a though it were his fault, and his heart sunk lower and lower at the sound of her winces when the firemammals assisted her out of the pit. Cut open from the saber
tooth display, and broken when she fell in from landing all of her body weight on the leg. He was pushing her around in a wheelchair for a few days until she got crutches. Nick felt so much happier
not seeing her in an ill state curled on the bed; especially on her birthday.

Judy didn't notice Nick come into the apartment as she took out her
headphones. "Looks like some bunny is feeling better."

She jumped at Nick's voice, turning to see him carrying a wrapped
box. She also noticed something different: Nick had changed his clothes. He was no longer wearing his police uniform. Instead, he had on a long sleeve white dress shirt, and it was actually tucked
in, black slacks, and a slick black tie. Judy was so used to him in his Hawaiian green shirt and tacky striped tie, that this made him look very handsome. Judy already thought he was handsome, but
nothing like this. A small blush grew on her cheeks as she bit her lower lip. Judy snapped back to reality and asked what the box was.

"This is from your parents. I just got it from the mail mammal. Ha,
everyone remembered your birthday except for you, huh Carrots?" He grinned handing the present to Judy.

Judy opened it and smiled. Inside was a big box of carrot-shaped
cookies, each frosted and decorated in crazy ways. Her little brothers and sisters must have baked these with her mom. She dug deeper into the box to find her old pretend police hat, some new DVDs,
and a family photo. This must have been from her dad. At the bottom of the box found something else: a shimmering blue dress, the same color as her police shirt. This had to be from her mother.
Judy brought it up to her body to see it reached her ankles, it was also sleeveless. The dress had a navy cardigan to wear with it; the same color as her vest. Judy didn't really like showing much
her fur all that much, and her mom knew that. It was also pretty chilly that day. She loved it; while she didn't normally wear dresses, it was still wonderful.

Judy could see Nick looking up and down her figure, obviously
'distracted.' "Man, I can't wait to see that on you."

Judy rolled her eyes. Nick was such a flirt, one of the many traits
she enjoyed about him.

"Well I guess it would look pretty good with this too." Nick said as
he pulled his gift out of his pocket, handing it to Judy. "Hope you like it, it was almost impossible to get the animal to sell it to me."

Judy looked at her present in wonder. It was wrapped in carrot print
wrapping paper and topped with a silver bow. She unwrapped it to find a small white box, and inside of that was an even smaller black box. Judy wondered if this was one of his pranks knowing him,
until she slowly opened the black velvet box. She lost her breath.

Inside was a beautiful necklace. A silver chain with a vibrant,
stunning emerald in the center, carved into the shape of a carrot. Emerald was Judy's birthstone. The metal was twisted and bent around the stone to form the leaves of the carrot, which was
encrusted with tiny diamonds. Judy began to tear up at the sight of her wonderful gift.

"But wait! There's more!" Nick said with the tone of an infomercial
mammal. "Tonight we're going on a romantic dinner date for two Courtesy of yours truly-"

Judy jumped into Nick's arms making him almost fall over, she had a
thing for doing that. "Oh, Nick. Thank you so much. This is going to be so romantic. Let me go get ready."